Slide cradle for weft-replenishing looms



March 27, 1928. 1 1,663,930

' H. H. WATSON SLIDE CRADLE FOR WEFT RERLENISHING LOOKS Filed Dec. 27, 1926 Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

UNITED stares PATENT :QEFICE.

nnnennr n. Wesson; or wononsrnn, MASSACHUSETTS, nssxenon T onomr'ron a 'nowtns LOOM wonxs, or WORCESTER; MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or messeonusnmrs.

SLIDE CRADLE FOR WEFT- REBLENISI -IING vLOOMS.

Application filed December 27,1926. Seria1 N 0. 157,093. a

- This invention relates to improvements in gbob b in releasing devices for weft replenishing loomsand it is the general objectof the invent ion toprovide a construction wherein the same releasing devices can be used for bobbins .of diiferent dimensions.

In .co-pending application Serial No; 123,277 filed by Jennings. et al., there is.

shown a multi-color weft replenishing lo mechanism having so-called roll cradles which are'proportioned to deliver bobbins of difierent lengths and diameters. The cradles shown in that application aregiven an an 7 gular movement aboutfltheir axes first to re- .ceive a bobbin and then to expel the bobbin ,in order that it may. move toward transfer position. The bobbinis shown therein of two forms, the long bobbins having a tip of small diameter and the shorter bobbin hav- 20,ing a tip-oflargediameter. It is'an important object of mylpresent invention. to improve; the general form of bobbin releasing cradles such assetforth in patent to'Ryon No.,1,()05,321 so they can function asdo the roll cradles of theaforesaidapplication.

With these and other objects which will V I I .2l'at one end thereof for the ibuttfof'the I appear-as. the description proceeds, my invention relates to the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter set-forth, and

39 ,more vparticularly pointed out .in the claims. In the accompanyingdrawings, wherein a convenient embodiment offmy invention is j shown, Y Fig. 1 is a vertical sectlon through a multi- 5,.color. magazine, having my invention applied t e t Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 2 2.of;Fig., 1, Eig fi is a view similar to Fig.2 but show ing the full length of one of. the cradles,

Eig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on line4+4 of; Fig, 3, i

1 Fig. 5 is aview similar toFig. 2 showing the long bobbin with small tip, 7 5 6 is a view similar to'Fig; 5 but ,showi ingthe short bobbin with large tip,

,Fig is an end elevation of that portion of. one of the cradles which supports the tips p I I v Ithe s1ide24owillmove downwardly andthe 10o slides willcbe reStored to theirnorma'l p,osi-

. of. the bobbins, and g9 stacks. same in cross section as shown in Fig; 2. Each slot 1s of tWOWldtllS, the wlderfporof the magazine and the narrow portion bejlijig B isia partialuviewin elevation look: i 'thedirectionof arrow8 inFigI, 3,

showingthe means for sliding the cradle members.

'Referringto the drawings a magazine frame 10 is provided with a plurality ,of bobbin slots 11 which guide the tips oft-he bobbins. Yielding supports 12 have downwardly and oppositely inclined surfaces 13 along which a bobbin may roll to a common transfer position from any one ofthe several Each slot 11 isv substantiallylthe tions being represented at l4: near the" center ing indicated at 1'5 andbeingdeeper. The structure-as set up in Fig.1 2, so far as the slots 11 are concerned, may be the same as that shown in said copending application filed by'oJennings et all. The bobbins are arranged in stacks, there being provisionf for four stacksfas shown in Fig. 1.

At the bottom of each stackvv is a bobbin releasing device or cradle and since these "devices are substantially the' same 'I will describe but one ofthem. Each cradle comprises an outer slide 20 having an upper lug bobbin B. The other slide 22 is provided at the butt end of thebobbin witha' lug 23 below the lug21. A vertical bar indicated in 7 cross section 'ato24 Fig.'- 3, carries'a pin 25 which extends through slots 26-formed in the two slide inembers'QO and .22 in Fig. 8. The upper. ends ,of the slots extend diagonally relatively to the length of the cradles.

When weft l exhaustion is indicated i the vertical. slide is raised. so as, to produce a [relative SlIdlIlgWIH OVQIILQIIt o of. sa d members,

the lug21 moving outwardly to release "the 'lowermost bobbin of the stack and the lower flu'g moving inwardly to'for'm a ,re'st on which the lowermost bobbin V may fall. It

is' to, bevunderf'stood thatfthe cradle or releasiiig device" is 'normally e'mpty and re- Iceivef abjobbin at the'ti'me of indication of fweft ex'hau'stionand will hold the sameunvtil the indicatingshuttle returns 5 to [the magazine side of the 100111; which time tinn slide 231movijng from ntider the butt of the bobbin in the cradle to release the same so that the bobbin may fall down the guides and move toward transferring position. The matter thus far described is substantially the same as set forth in the aforesaid patent to Ryon and forms no part of my present invention. For the purpose of the present description it is assumed that the butts of the bobbin will be the same and for this reason those parts of the cradles and slides which cooperate with the bobbin butts, may be the same as those used heretofore.

In carrying my invention into effect I change the lugs on the tip end of the slides I from the formshown in the Ryon patent to fit them for use on the bobbins having different characters of tips. -Accordingly,

tip T. In a similarmanner member 20 is Ill provided with a lower relatively large lug 33 and a shorter lug 34, the lug 33 having an extension similar to extension 32 of the upperlarger lug 30. The spacing between the lug- 34 and the extension is the same as that between the lug 31 and the extension 32.

When a shorter bobbin of larger tip diameter is to'be used it will occupy the positionindicated in Fig. 6, the space through which the small tip passes being too small for the larger tip T so that the latter will be supported by the lug 31 and extension 32 when above the cradle and by the lug 34: and extension 35 when in the cradle. In this way provision is made for the discharge of the two different kinds of bobbins as set forth in Figs. 5 and 6.

The tips of the longer bobbins T will lie closely adjacent the'vertical inner wall of the frame 10 and will therefore be restrained against undue endwise motion but inasmuch 1 as the butts of the bobbins must be in ver- I incline the lugs 31 and 3a downwardly and 7 also offset the extensions 32 and 35 down- Wardly so that the inner ends thereof are below the level of the corresponding larger lugs, as shown in Fig. 4. In this way the lower portions of the largerbobbins are below the upper surface of the large lugs 30 and 33 and are thus held against undue end- .releasing element at the bottom of each slide having a plurality of bobbin tip engaging portions certain of which-hold one In order to provide means to prevent endwise motion of the shorter bobbins while in the cradle wise movement. This is indicated in Fig. 4 where the full line circle shown-in cross section represents the end of the small diameter bobbin and the dotted circle indicates the tip of the bobbin of larger 'di ameter. The cradles are supported and guided in the frame of the magazine in the manner set forth in said figureandis more fully set forth in the afoi'esaidpatent t0 Ryon.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided bobbin releasing devices of the slide cradle type wherein a relatively long and small tipped bobbin and a shorter and larger tipped bobbin may be-used in the same magazine, the cradles being equally eftectiveto move a selected-bobbin toward It will further be seen 7 transfer position. 7 that the slots 11 having two dilferent lengths and widths are aligned vertically with'the lugs on the ends of the slides adjacent the tips of the bobbins. It will also be seen that endwise movement of the shorter bob bins is limited so that the butts of all the bobbins may be in alignment to cooperate with the transfer mechanism. In using the cradles set forth herein itis possible to stack the magazine with two difierent kinds of.

bobbins, or if desirable, one stack can use bobbins of one length and another stack of another length.

Having thus described my invention it will be apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I do not wish to belimited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a weft replenlsnmg mechanism having provision for guiding a stack of bobbins certain of which are relatively long with tips of small diameter and certain of which are relatively short with tips of large-diameter, a pair of slidable members defining a bobbin type and other portions to "hold the'other type of bobbins when the slidableinembers are in one relative pos'itionjand said portions releasingboth types of'bobbinswhen the slidable members are in another relativeposition."

2. Ina weft replenishingmechanism hav ving provision for guiding a stack of bobbins certain of which are .relatively long withtips of small diameter and certain of which ameter, a pair of slidable members defining a bobbin releasing device at the stack, said members each having a plurality of bobbin tip engaging portions certain of which normally support one type of bobbin and other portions normally support ing the-other type of bobbin, each member the stack,

the bottom of are relatively short with'tips of large di- 7 having bobbin tip engaging elements to sup port the shorter bobbins with large tips and having separate and other means to support the smaller tips of the longer bobbins, said elements being spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the tip of the longer bobbin, said members supporting either type ofbobbin when in one relative position and effective to release either type of bobbin when moyed relatively to each other.

4. In weft replenishing mechanism for a loom operating with two types of bobbins one of which is relatively long and of small diameter and the other of which is relatively short but of larger diameter, means to guide a stack of bobbins, and a device to support and control the discharging movements of said bobbins, said device including a pair of oppositely moving slide members having spaced bobbin tip engaging portions through Which the longer bobbins of less diameter may pass when said members are in one osition but which prevent passage of the s orter bobbins of larger diameters when the members are in another position.

5. In weft replenishing mechanism for a loom operating with two types of bobbins one of which is relatively long and of small tip diameter and the other of Whichis relatively short but of larger tip diameter, a releasing device for the bobbins including a pair of members movable in opposite directions with respect to each other at the time the bobbin is to be controlled thereby, each member being provided with a plurality of bobbin tip supports for the bobbins, the support for the bobbin of larger tip being spaced apart-sufficiently to permit the smaller tips of the other bobbins to pass therebetween.

6. In weft replenishing mechanism for a. loom operating with two types of bobbins one of which is relatively long and of small tip diameter and the other of which is relatively short but of larger tip diameter, a pair of devices movable in opposite direction with respect to each other to control the movements of the bobbins, each member having a supporting lug for the longer bobbins and having also spaced supporting V members for the shorter bobbins, the latter supports being depressed below the first named support so that a bobbin of larger diameter resting on the second named supports will be held against undue endwise movement by the first named support.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

HERBERT H. WATSON. 

